Bugger to it, I'm going to chuck an entry in. Will mean some VERY intensive training over the coming weeks and no beer, but hey, why not.
400km is not about being super-fit, it's about knowing yourself and being able to work through the bad patches.
I fully expect to die.
I ride a bike every day, but I have done zero distance rides this year (Maybe a dozen 100-150km rides) due to a couple of things. It's going to be a struggle, but if I can get a couple of 200+ rides under my belt without feeling like I've been kicked all over in the next fortnight, I'll be happy.
I know I'm being a wuss for even thinking this, but there's a lot of bail out options - Penrith and Carlisle are around the halfway mark, can easily grab a train home from there. Alston is at about 300km and it's downhill from there to Haltwhistle and Hexham stations. And hey, if I make it to Alston, I might even make it back to Ingleby Barwick...
Bailing wouldn't be the end of the world, would still be a ride to build on (I'm entered in The Flatlands 600 in September).